Diplomatic and Official Passports

Definition:Diplomatic & Official Passport

Diplomatic and Official passports are normally issued only to people conducting diplomatic and official government business, and are restricted to people in specific categories and roles. The only exceptions to this are former Governors-General (and their spouses) and former Prime Ministers (and their spouses) who customarily receive a courtesy diplomatic passport after their official duties have ended.

Diplomatic and Official passports are issued to facilitate the travel of people who are employed by or acting on behalf of the Australian government.

Diplomatic and Official passports, in themselves, do not confer on the holder any special privileges or rights. Individual countries may confer, at their discretion, certain rights to holders of Diplomatic and Official passports.

Entitlement:Diplomatic & Official Passport

Section 7 of the Australian Passports Act 2005 authorises the Minister for Foreign Affairs to issue an Australian passport to a person who is travelling for diplomatic or official purposes, or is a dependent of a person travelling for diplomatic or official purposes, in the circumstances of Section 17(2) of the Act. The Minister has delegated this power to officers specified in Schedule 1 of the Authorisations and Delegations instrument. Officers should have regard to Section 16 of the Determination when exercising their delegation. See ' Delegations matrix ' for guidance on who should exercise a delegation.

Diplomatic and Official passports can be issued only to Australian citizens listed in the ministerial guidelines (see '

Ministerial Guidelines for the issue of a Diplomatic & Official Passport

') and whose application form is supported by a letter from the sponsoring authority (Letter 14). When applying for a diplomatic passport, former Governors-General and former Prime Ministers (and their spouses) do not require a sponsorship letter from a sponsoring authority.

The publication 'Australian Diplomatic and Official Passports - Guidelines for Sponsoring Authorities' (Annex 6) provides guidance to sponsoring agencies on the issue, use and management of Diplomatic and Official passports. Information in this publication should not however override the ministerial guidelines for the issue of a Diplomatic and Official passport. See also '

Responsibilities of the sponsoring authority:Diplomatic & Official Passport

'.

Child entitlement: Diplomatic and Official passports

A child cannot be issued with a Diplomatic or Official passport except in the following circumstances:

	Dependants	Post	Validity	Passport type
1.	Minor1 serving member of Australian Defence Force (ADF).	All	5 years	Official
2.	Dependent minor1 who forms part of the physical household of an officer of a Commonwealth department who is posted to an Australian diplomatic mission.	- New Delhi - Chennai - Mumbai - Buenos Aires - Tehran	As for principal passport holder	Diplomatic

All other eligible dependent minors will be issued with an ordinary sponsored passport.

^1. Unmarried person under the age of 18 years.

Accreditation:Diplomatic & Official Passport

Diplomatic passport holders who are posted to an Australian diplomatic mission must be recognised by the host country as a member of the diplomatic staff of the Australian mission before being afforded the rights and privileges as set out in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR). Under the VCDR third countries are also required to ensure that people accredited to diplomatic missions in other countries can travel freely through their country.

Official passport holders who are posted to an Australian diplomatic or consular mission must be recognised by the host country as a member of the consular staff of the Australian mission before being afforded the rights and privileges as set out in the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR). The VCCR also requires third countries to afford people accredited to consular missions in other countries certain rights to enable them to travel freely through their country.

Inappropriate use:Diplomatic & Official Passport

Diplomatic and Official passports are subject to cancellation without notice if used for purposes outside those provisions relevant to the holder as listed in the '

Ministerial Guidelines for the issue of a Diplomatic & Official Passport

'.

Disciplinary action under the conduct guidelines of the relevant sponsoring authority may also be taken against people who use these passports contrary to the reason of issue.

Responsibilities of the holder:Diplomatic & Official Passport

Diplomatic and Official passports are valuable documents and must be treated accordingly.

The holder of a Diplomatic or Official passport must:

• Use the passport for travel in accordance with the reason for issue and as outlined in the '
  

  Ministerial Guidelines for the issue of a Diplomatic & Official Passport

  ';
• Return the Diplomatic/Official passport to the sponsoring authority when no longer required for official travel or when transferring from the sponsoring authority to another agency; and
• Report the loss or theft of a Diplomatic/Official passport to the nearest Passport Office and also to the sponsoring authority.

Holders of Diplomatic and Official passports are liable to the provisions of the Australian Passports Act 2005, Section 45, and Minister's Determinations which impose additional fees and restrictions on replacement document issue to holders who lose their Diplomatic or Official passport or have it stolen. Serious cases, including where multiple travel documents have been reported lost or stolen will be reported to the Senior Executive of the sponsoring authority along with any proposed course of action on issuing a replacement travel document.

Responsibilities of the sponsoring authority:Diplomatic & Official Passport

The authority which sponsored the issue of a Diplomatic or Official passport is responsible for ensuring that:

• Holders are aware of the proper use of the passport, understand the penalties for improper use, and understand that the passport should be stored securely when not in use;
• A record is kept of all Diplomatic and Official passports which it has sponsored;
• Diplomatic and Official passports that are no longer required (e.g. because the officer no longer qualifies to hold the document) are returned to a Passport Office for cancellation;
• All employees who are separating from the organisation and who hold a Diplomatic or Official passport surrender their passport so that it can be returned to a Passport Office for cancellation;
• Where an officer who holds a Diplomatic or Official passport transfers to another agency and continues to require a Diplomatic or Official passport, the passport must be returned to a Passport Office along with a letter of support (see Letter 14) from the new sponsoring authority. The passport will be sent to the new sponsoring authority if approval to continue to hold the passport is granted by the Passport Office;
• An annual audit of all Diplomatic and Official passports sponsored by the agency is conducted to identify all passports sponsored by the agency and to bring to attention those passports which are no longer required. The results of this audit must be passed to APO by 1 April each year;
• It pays any penalties to replace any lost/stolen Diplomatic and Official passports (or require the passport holder to pay the penalty); and
• It pays any penalties imposed for not returning Diplomatic and Official passports as required above or for not being able to account for a passport as part of the annual audit.

The publication 'Australian Diplomatic and Official Passports - Guidelines for Sponsoring Authorities' (Annex 6) provides guidance to sponsoring authorities on the issue, use and management of Diplomatic and Official passports. Information in this publication should not however override the ministerial guidelines for the issue of a Diplomatic and Official passport, see '

Ministerial Guidelines for the issue of a Diplomatic & Official Passport

'.

Applying for a Diplomatic & Official Passport

People applying for a Diplomatic or Official passport may either use:

• a PC1 application form, or
• a PC7 renewal form provided the applicant can meet the eligibility requirements for a PC7, see '
  

  Renewal Applications

  ' for further information.

Note: Applications for a Diplomatic or Official passport can only be lodged at a passport office or overseas mission.

Validity:Diplomatic & Official Passport

Diplomatic and Official passports must be limited in validity according to the specific time, purpose of mission/travel or duration of status and function of bearer outlined for each eligible person in the Ministerial Guidelines (see '

Ministerial Schedules: Sponsored Passports

' and '

').

Application fees will not be affected by the validity period and the validity cannot be extended.

Ministerial Guidelines for the issue of a Diplomatic & Official Passport

Issuing Diplomatic and Official passports

Any application for a Diplomatic or Official passport for any person outside the standard categories as listed in the tables below requires special approval and must be referred to Canberra for consideration.

Unless otherwise mentioned, the passport is only to be used for official travel. Official travel means travel, the prime purpose of which directly relates to the carrying on of Government business and that business is not related to a competitive commercial activity, whether or not the commercial competitiveness includes other Australian or overseas enterprises.

See '

Ministerial Schedules: Sponsored Passports

'.

Ministerial Schedules: Sponsored Passports

MINISTERIAL SCHEDULES: SPONSORED PASSPORTS

Schedule 1: Eligible Commonwealth categories
Item	Applicant	Observation label (Bearer is …)	Passport type	Purpose	Validity
1	Governor-General	the Governor-General of Australia	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
2	Former Governors-General	a former Governor-General of Australia	Diplomatic	All travel	10 years
3	Prime Minister	the Prime Minister of Australia	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
4	Former Prime Ministers	a former Prime Minister of Australia	Diplomatic	All travel	10 years
5	President of the Senate	the President of the Senate of the Parliament of Australia	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
6	Speaker of the House of Representatives	the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Australia	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
7	Chief Justice and Justices of the High Court of Australia and Chief Justices of the Federal/Family Court of Australia	the Chief Justice of the (High/Federal/Family) Court of Australia or a Justice of the High Court of Australia	Diplomatic	All travel	10 years
8	Justices and Judges of the Federal/Family Court of Australia	a (Justice/Judge) of the (Federal/Family) Court of Australia	Official	All travel	10 years
9	President/Deputy Presidents and Commissioners of Fair Work Australia	(the President/ a Deputy President/Commissioner) of Fair Work Australia	Official	Official travel only	10 years
10	Commonwealth Government Ministers	the Minister for (portfolio) of the Government of Australia	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
11	Leader of the Opposition	the Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of Australia	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
12	Deputy Leader of the Opposition	the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of Australia	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
13	Commonwealth Parliamentary Secretaries	the Parliamentary Secretary for (portfolio) of the Government of Australia	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
14	Members of Australian Federal Parliament	a Member of the (Senate/House of Representatives) in the Parliament of Australia	Official	All travel	5 years
15	Chief of the Defence Force and Chiefs of the Navy, Army and Air Force	the Chief of the Australian (position given)	Diplomatic	Official travel only	5 years
16	Secretaries (or equivalents) of Commonwealth Departments	the (as appropriate) of the Australian (Department)	Diplomatic	Official travel only	5 years
17	Australian Public Service Commissioner	the Australian Public Service Commissioner	Diplomatic	Official travel only	5 years
18	Australian Government Solicitor	the Australian Government Solicitor	Diplomatic	Official travel only	5 years
19	Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security	the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security	Diplomatic	Official travel only	5 years
20	Director-General, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation	the Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation	Diplomatic	Official travel only	5 years
21	Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia	the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia	Diplomatic	Official travel only	5 years
22	Director-General, Office of National Assessments	the Director-General of the Office of National Assessments	Diplomatic	Official travel only	5 years
23	Director, Defence Intelligence Organisation	the Director of the Defence Intelligence Organisation	Diplomatic	Official travel only	5 years
24	Director-General, Australian Secret Intelligence Service	the Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service	Diplomatic	Official travel only	5 years
25	Commissioner, Australian Federal Police	the Australian Federal Police Commissioner	Diplomatic	Official travel only	5 years
26	Chief Executive Officer, Australian Crime Commission	the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Crime Commission	Diplomatic	Official travel only	5 years
27	Chief Executive Officer (or equivalent), Australian Customs and Border Protection Service/Australian Border Force	the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service/Australian Border Force	Diplomatic	Official travel only	5 years
28	Chief Executive Officer, Austrade	the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Trade Commission	Diplomatic	Official travel only	5 years
29	Chief Scientist	the Chief Scientist for Australia	Diplomatic	Official travel only	5 years
30	Australian Ambassadors	the Australian Ambassador to (full title of country/regional body) or the Australian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to (full title of organisation) or the Australian Ambassador for (matter)	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
31	Australian High Commissioners	the Australian High Commissioner to (full title of country)	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
32	Head of Mission, Australian Special Coordinator of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands	the Australian Special Coordinator of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
33	Australian Consul-General (and Australian Consuls if Head of Post)	the Australian (Consul-General/Consul) in (full title of country/city)	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
34	Australian Representative, Australian Office, Taipei	travelling on Government business	Diplomatic	Official travel to and from locations other than Taiwan only	5 years
35	Officers of Commonwealth departments and agencies who are attached, or posted, to an Australian overseas diplomatic mission or consulate and accredited by the receiving country as holding a recognised diplomatic rank (or designated)	(position designation – refer to OPI 'Standard formats for endorsement in passports')	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
36	Officers of Commonwealth departments and agencies who are attached, or posted, to an Australian overseas diplomatic mission or consulate	travelling on Government business	Official	All travel	5 years
37	Diplomatic couriers	a diplomatic courier of the Government of Australia	Diplomatic (Ordinary for Taiwan)	Official travel only	5 years (plus up to two concurrent 2-year passports)
38	Leader of Government Delegations or sole Australian Government representative at international conferences and negotiations	the (as appropriate)	Diplomatic	Official travel only	1 year
39	Officers working for Prescribed Agencies under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 and the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997	travelling on Government business	Official	Official travel only	5 years
40	Official Secretary to the Governor-General appointed by the Governor-General under the Governor-General Act 1974	the Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia	Diplomatic	Official travel only	5 years
41	Official staff employed by the Official Secretary to the Governor-General under the Governor-General Act 1974	accompanying the Governor-General of Australia	Diplomatic	Official travel when accompanying the Governor-General only	5 years
42	Chiefs of staff employed by the Prime Minister and Federal Cabinet Ministers	travelling on Government business	Diplomatic	Official travel only	5 years
43	Official staff employed by the Prime Minister, Ministers, Leader and Deputy Leader of the Opposition under the Member of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984	travelling on Government business	Official	Official travel only	5 years
Schedule 2: Eligible State and Territory categories
Item	Applicant	Observation label (Bearer is …)	Passport type	Purpose	Validity
44	State Governors	the Governor of the State of (State)	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
45	Former State Governors	a former Governor of the State of (State)	Diplomatic	All travel	10 years
46	Administrators of Cocos (Keeling), Christmas and Norfolk Islands, and Lieutenant Governors of a State	the (Administrator/Lieutenant Governor) of the (Territory/State) of (Territory/State)	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
47	State Premier and Territory Chief Minister	the Premier of the State of (State) or Chief Minister of the (Territory)	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
48	State and Territory Ministers	the Minister for (portfolio/s) of the Government of (State or Territory)	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
49	Chief Justices of State and Territory Supreme Courts	the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of (State/Territory)	Diplomatic	Official travel only	10 years
50	Justices and Judges of State and Territory Supreme Courts	a (Justice/Judge) of the Supreme Court of (State/Territory)	Official	All travel	10 years
51	Magistrates of State and Territory Courts	a Magistrate of the (State/Territory Court)	Official	Official travel only	10 years
52	Presiding Officers of State, Territory and Norfolk Island Parliaments	the (President/Speaker) of the Legislative (Council/Assembly) of the (State/Territory/Norfolk Island) Parliament	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
53	Members of State, Territory and Norfolk Island Parliaments	a Member of the Legislative (Council/Assembly) of the Parliament of (State/Territory)	Official	All travel	5 years
54	Permanent Heads of Premier's and Chief Minister's Departments	the Permanent Head of the (Premier's/Chief Minister's) Department of the Government of (State or Territory)	Diplomatic	Official travel when accompanying Premier or Chief Minister only	5 years
55	Chiefs of Staff of Premiers and Chief Ministers	travelling on Government business	Official	Official travel only	5 years
56	Official staff of State Governors	accompanying the (as appropriate)	Diplomatic	Official travel when accompanying State Governor only	5 years
57	Officers of State and Territory Parliamentary and Departmental bodies	travelling on Government business	Official	Official travel only	5 years
Schedule 3: Other eligible categories
Item	Applicant	Observation label (Bearer is …)	Passport type	Purpose	Validity
58	Executive Directors of international financial institutions	the Executive Director of (institution)	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
59	Spouse1 of the Governor-General	the spouse of the Governor-General of Australia	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
60	Spouses1 of former Governors-General	the spouse of a former Governor-General of Australia	Diplomatic	All travel	10 years
61	Spouse1 of the Prime Minister	the spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia	Diplomatic	All travel	5 years
62	Spouses1 of former Prime Ministers	the spouse of a former Prime Minister of Australia	Diplomatic	All travel	10 years
63	Spouses1 of Members of Australian Federal Parliament	the spouse of a (Member of the Senate/House of Representatives) in the Parliament of Australia	Official	For travel when accompanying principal passport holder at official expense only	As for principal passport holder (maximum of 5 years)
64	Spouses1 of Justices and Judges of the Federal/Family Court of Australia and spouses1 of President/Deputy Presidents and Commissioners of Fair Work Australia	the spouse of the (principal passport holder's position)	Official	For travel when accompanying principal passport holder at official expense only	As for principal passport holder (maximum of 5 years)
65	Spouses of officers of Commonwealth departments and agencies who are attached, or posted, to an Australian overseas diplomatic mission or consulate and accredited by the receiving country as holding a recognised diplomatic rank (or designated)	the spouse of the (principal passport holder's position)	Diplomatic	All travel	As for principal passport holder (maximum of 5 years)
66	Spouses1 of persons granted a diplomatic passport not elsewhere classified, except spouses of persons classified under items 37, 40, 56 or 70	the (spouse/partner/other reference that indicates the nature of the relationship and is acceptable to the receiving country) of (position of primary passport holder) or (an official travelling on Government business). (Note: Guidance from DFAT Staffing Branch may be sought)	Diplomatic	For travel when accompanying principal passport holder only	As for principal passport holder
67	Spouses1 of persons granted an official passport not elsewhere classified	the (spouse/partner/other reference that indicates the nature of the relationship and is acceptable to the receiving country) of (position of primary passport holder) or (an official travelling on Government business). (Note: Guidance from DFAT Staffing Branch may be sought)	Official	For travel when accompanying principal passport holder at official expense only	As for principal passport holder
68	People in respect of whom the Minister for Foreign Affairs considers exceptional circumstances apply2	(as approved)	Diplomatic	Travel as approved	As approved
69	People in respect of whom the Minister for Foreign Affairs considers special circumstances apply2	(as approved)	Official	Travel as approved	As approved
70	People representing the Australian Government travelling to locations or on assignment where there are distinct operational or security factors requiring the use of a diplomatic passport3 4	travelling on Government business	Diplomatic	Travel as approved	Duration of travel or assignment plus 7 months
71	Minor dependants of people representing the Australian Government travelling to locations or on assignment where there are distinct operational or security factors requiring the use of a diplomatic passport3	the dependant of the (principal passport holder's position)	Diplomatic	All travel	As for principal passport holder (maximum of 5 years)
72	People representing the Australian Government travelling to locations or on assignments where an official passport is essential for the performance of the Government's business5	travelling on Government business	Official	Travel as approved	Duration of travel or assignment plus 7 months

Persons recognised by the sponsoring agency as the spouse or de facto partner (whether of the same sex or a different sex) of the holder of an official or diplomatic passport that was paid for at official expense.

The Minister will decide on such applications on a case-by-case basis.

The Executive Director or the Assistant Secretary Passport Client Services Branch, Australian Passport Office DFAT, will decide on such applications on a case-by-case basis taking into account the purpose of travel, how it would be facilitated by the issue of a diplomatic passport, and possible threats to personnel or official material through the use of a non-sponsored passport.

The question of appropriate security vetting of individuals (for example, private sector contractors) will be determined between the Australia Passport Office and relevant Security Branches.

The Executive Director or the Assistant Secretary Passport Client Services Branch, Australian Passport Office DFAT, will decide on such applications on a case-by-case basis taking into account the purpose of travel and how it would be facilitated by the issue of an official passport.

Issuing office:Diplomatic & Official Passport

Diplomatic passports are issued in Canberra or London. State Passport Offices can also issue Diplomatic passports; however this would normally be the exception.

Official passports are issued in London or at Passport Offices in Australia.

Overseas posts, except London, cannot issue Diplomatic or Official passports and will send all applications, together with the sponsorship letter to their respective Regional Eligibility Centre (REC). The REC will undertake the eligibility process, authorise the issue, personalise the document and return it to the originating post within ten working days if all the requirements have been met.

Priority Processing Fee:Diplomatic & Official Passport

Only applications lodged at a Passport Office in Australia or locally in London that meet all the requirements can be offered the priority processing service, see '

Priority Processing

'.

The requirements include:

• the application form,
• a completed 'Conditions for the Issue of a Diplomatic or Official Passport' form (refer to Attachment C in Annex 6: 'Diplomatic and Official Passports – Guidelines for Sponsoring Authorities'), and
• a completed sponsorship letter from the sponsoring authority (Letter 14)

Where an applicant needs to travel urgently and cannot wait for 10 working days to receive his/her replacement Diplomatic or Official passport, the overseas post may issue an Emergency passport under the same business rules and procedures outlined in 'Emergency Passports'.

Spouse and dependents of Diplomatic & Official Passport holder

A Diplomatic or Official passport may be issued to the spouse of the bearer of a Diplomatic or Official passport and Ordinary passports may be issued to dependants (under or over 18 years) for whom a sponsoring authority has accepted a fare responsibility for the spouse and dependents.

The validity is to be the same as the passport issued to a person specified in the '

Ministerial Guidelines for the issue of a Diplomatic & Official Passport

'. A 'Conditions for the Issue of a Diplomatic or Official Passport' form (Attachment C in Annex 6) is not required with applications for Ordinary passports for dependants.

Passports issued to the family of the holder of a Diplomatic or Official passport are endorsed on the observation page: Bearer is the {spouse/dependant/member of the household} of the {position} at {mission}

A Diplomatic or Official passport issued to a same sex spouse is endorsed on the observation page: Bearer is a member of the household of {name} the {position} at {mission}

Concurrent Diplomatic & Official passports

Holders of Diplomatic and Official passports who require a second or concurrent Diplomatic or Official passport must satisfy all the requirements for a concurrent passport (see '

Concurrent Passports

), including provision of a completed supporting letter from the sponsoring authority, before a concurrent passport can be issued. The sponsoring authority is responsible for the payment of the fee.

The validity of a concurrent Diplomatic passport is to be restricted to cover the purpose of its issue.

Termination of holder's official appointment/posting:Diplomatic & Official Passport

Termination of overseas appointment:Diplomatic & Official Passport

If the appointment of the holder of a Diplomatic or Official passport is terminated while the holder is overseas, or the officer resigns, the passport must be surrendered before the person leaves the post.

A gratis Ordinary passport (with a maximum validity of one year) may be issued on completion of the normal requirements.

After cancellation (i.e. physically and electronically), the Diplomatic or Official passport may be returned to the holder.

Completion of overseas posting:Diplomatic & Official Passport

At the completion of an overseas posting, if a Diplomatic or Official passport holder is proceeding on any period of long service leave or leave without pay, the Diplomatic or Official passport must be surrendered and, if necessary, an Ordinary passport purchased at the holder's own expense.

Private passport in addition to Diplomatic & Official passport

The holder of a Diplomatic or Official passport is permitted to hold another valid private Australian passport while holding a Diplomatic or Official passport.

The other valid Australian travel document is normally an Ordinary passport acquired by meeting the full requirements for issue (including interview and guarantor requirements).

Diplomatic and Official passport holders are not required by the Australian Government to surrender any private passport that has been issued by a country other than Australia.

The normal fee is payable when applying for a Diplomatic or Official passport.